Back behind the BMW's wheel, Chris Wardlaw quickly remembered everything he loves about the car. "What a smooth, sexy, powerful sedan! Communicative and tossable, it begs to be driven well and hard." Otherwise, warns Wardlaw, you have to contend with a heavy clutch, which is what features editor Scott Mead had to deal with in rush-hour (ever wonder why the time of day when cars creep along is called "rush" hour?) traffic.
Both drivers had no complaints about the GPS navigation system (is this a first for our Bimmer?), but didn't like the fact that the navigation display must be used to tune radio stations, partly because it's distracting and partly because it washes out in direct sunlight. Mead mentioned that there's something missing in our BMW. What, you ask? Well, we can't bear to write those words again. Let's just say it holds round things that go round and round while making sound, OK? And Wardlaw wants to know "who honestly thinks it's a good idea to put power window switches on the center console?"
Scott Mead found the driver's seat had good lumbar support and was plenty comfortable, even though some may find the sport-package seats confining. Mead said steering was "classic BMW," with a solid feel and excellent response.
Wardlaw had a little bit of fun this time 'round. One morning, while driving on a wet entrance ramp to I-5 between Valencia and Castaic, he found it was a little slick with oil. "Once I realized the road surface was grimy, I made the best of it and four-wheel drifted the 328 all the way around the U-shaped ramp. What a hoot!" Kids, don't try this at home.
Mead made note of our BMW's tires, saying they are getting pretty close to the wear bars.
Total Odometer Reading: 22,676
Best Fuel Economy: 20.9 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 20.6 mpg
Body Damage: $0
Maintenance Costs: $0
Problems: None.
